Students filled the Student Recreation and Wellness Center to celebrate Recreational Sports & Fitness Day  Thursday, providing a chance for them to get out some energy.

National Recreational Sports and Fitness Day was founded in 1999 by the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association. The annual celebration recognizes its founding date: Feb. 22, 1950. The celebration explores the benefits of participation in recreational sports. 

Rock climbing, intramurals and video games were included in this celebration. Pizza, chips and bottled water as well as t-shirts were available to students who attended the event and completed an event passport. 

“We celebrate by showcasing the normal activities already scheduled such as Group Fitness classes, Intramural Sports Basketball League games, and drop-in recreation,” James Kraus, the senior assistant director of guest services and marketing, said. “We also have some extra programs and activities such as free try climbs at the Climbing Wall, intramural sports dodgeball tournaments, and some informational tables about our programs and some other student organizations.”

Kraus said this annual celebration brings a lot of benefits, his motivation in coordinating the event is to serve the students.

“Seeing the diverse population of students that come and utilize the SRWC in whatever way they need to help them improve their overall health and wellness,” he said. “Our goal is to raise awareness about all the great recreation and wellness opportunities students have available.”

Along with the Student Recreation and Wellness Center, the Kent State of Wellbeing set up a “Well-Hub” booth.

The booth had trivia related to Group X classes, fitness, and its relation to habit formation. There were supplies to create fitness vision boards to inspire and educate on physical well-being artistically.

Preparation for this event began in November and was promoted through posters, university calendar events, and social media posts. Students used the hashtag #RecDay to join in on the celebration.

Savannah Mallozzi is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].